Water reservoir impact assessment in Indonesia : the environmental impact assessment process and the use of remotely sensed data

• Main Author: Hargono, Bambang
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 1992
• Subjects: Canada; Eia; Churchill River
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/1359/; https://research.library.mun.ca/1359/1/Hargono_Bambang.pdf; https://research.library.mun.ca/1359/3/Hargono_Bambang.pdf

Water resources developments in Indonesia is under the full authority of the government. All proponents for this type of development arc government agencies. These developments are designed primarily for irrigation and are implemented mainly to alleviate socio-economic problems in society. However, water resources developments create serious socio-economic problems related to the relocation of people, because of the high population density of the country. -- Due to the urgent fulfilment of the population demands, the developments will have to continue, but with special emphasis on minimizing the environmental impacts. This needs an environmental impact assessment (EIA) to be applied properly and monitoring of the environment to be carried out effectively. This thesis examines some shortcomings in the Indonesian EIA process and the role of public participation in the objective assessment of concerns regarding these developments. The thesis also examines how remotely sensed data can be used for water reservoir impact assessment and monitoring. -- The Indonesian EIA process has some shortcomings when compared to other EIA processes, in that the entire process is a self assessment within the initiating department. When the proponent is a private company, the reviewer in the initiating (government) department can act as an independent party between the proponent and the public. When the proponent is a government agency, there is an opportunity for the reviewer towards a self-interested bias. Other problems have involved people's protests against water resources developments which resulted from inadequate opportunity for public input into the EIA process. -- A ground receiving station for satellite remotely sensed data is in existence in Indonesia. This station is able to receive and process LANDSAT MULTISPECTRAL SCANNER (MSS) and LANDSAT THEMATIC MAPPER (TM) data. However, few specialists in the field of water resource development in Indonesia utilize these data in their work. This thesis explores the use of remotely sensed data for the environmental impact assessment and monitoring of water resources developments particularly in reservoir impoundment projects. The proposed Lower Churchill River hydro-electric development project in Labrador, Canada, is used here for illustration of the use of remotely sensed data for an environmental impart assessment. This thesis examines the possible application of these remote sensing techniques in a water resource project in the South Kedu area in Central Java, Indonesia.